> Nostalgia to the gills! Binged it even faster than R1988 ; finished in 12 hours on Wednesday night lol

I would consider a drama on how good it is based on how addicted I was and how fast i binged it , but even if I wasn't super addicted to Answer Me 1997 it has same characteristics as R1988 but the focus is more on the romance and husband than family (have to be honest is skipped lot of interactions Si Won's parents and also with her).

STORY
-------
This drama was different from others, in the aspect that it wasn't the typical cliff hanger every episode and there wasn't really a FIXED story-line, if you know what I mean. [spoiler]It was the story-telling of two first loves that succeeded and their growth together. From high school to adulthood, it was just lovely seeing all the characters grow.[/spoiler]

In 1997, I was not a teenager in South Korea, but a kid . Yet, without having had the exact same experiences, the 90s nostalgia hit me hard with this one. The gadgets (or lack thereof), the music, the hair styles,... it all created such a nostalgic atmosphere, while telling a timeless coming-of-age story. I loved seeing the squad grow up and go through all these stages of young adult life.

It was full of sweet moments and what I like about this drama is that there isn't some annoying, cock-blocking antagonist that was only put there to have a base conflict. The conflict in the drama was more personal, realistic, and relatable which made this drama just seem more "real" I guess. Even if I wasn't into kpop in that time exactly, I still felt the nostalgia and warm fuzzy feeling when they play a 90's or early 2000's song in the background.

The writing was also good but it has its bad moments .. I'll write about the good parts first

The first half of the drama was pretty good; it was very youthful, and quite unique. It's not easy to create youth, it usually has too much elements or too little, but this drama nailed it. It made me remember my high school, skipping classes, hating some subject/teachers and loving the others, obsessing over things, not worrying about time/health/future, and thinking that everything is possible, that I can become anything if I set my mind into it. The times that I didn't have to think too srsly nor had to take that much responsibility, since my parents were there to take care of it all. However, I liked it even more, because it wasn't all fun and games; it had some darker, deeper elements into it. The writers managed to explore these deeper part of the plot through the older characters i.e. the parents. I loved them so much, they were a joy to watch.

But then half way through the drama, as if the magic was gone, the characters lost their charisma and started to become flat. There was no character development anymore, and the plot itself became one dimensional, boring and in times very very annoying. Remember the darker, deeper parts of the plot that I was writing about in the previous paragraph ... well the writers decided to forget about it, which created a huge problem. So yeah, I had a problem with this drama being so unrealistic... and trust me the writers had more than enough time to manage and show some character development, I mean from 1997 to 2012 is not a short period of time.

CHARACTERS
-----------------
THE CAST AND ACTING WAS PERFECT. Everyone was so natural and even if Shiwon was a delusional fan girl, I still loved her character. Every single one them managed to create their own story in their own unique, quirky way and it just worked. I laughed, I loved and I cried for all their troubles and woes. They made it seem so easy, pulling off the Busan dialect, acting like crazy loons and yet it all felt so real and genuine. As if I was watching a documentary about the lives of these people in Busan and not some Korean sitcom.

I loved Si Won and Yun Jae‘s unconventional relationship and his acceptance of her (fan) craziness. None of the other characters understand the dynamic of their relationship, yet they adore each other in their own way. I liked the way they were attached to the hip like a family and how they grew into adulthood [spoiler]You can see his emotions through his eyes and his intense gaze that's only for Shiwon. When he cries I just cry with him, because it seems so genuine and the pain is visible through his crying. Again, I loved the fact that there was no crazy ass villain in the drama.[/spoiler]


[spoiler]I think Jun Hee‘s queerness should‘ve been explored more but I understand that Korea just was/is not there, yet. I would have at least liked to see the face of the person who picked him up in the end, though. The way he is stuck and followed his first love until his first love has finally found the peace and the way he dealt the reality is heart-warming.[/spoiler]

In fact, The whole cast is pretty amazing. Seo In Guk shines, Ho Won is a perfect fit for the sweet Jun Hee and Eun Ji is just an absolute treasure. I could watch her read the phone book in her Busan accent and I would be content.

The only thing I disliked about this drama was the character of Tae Woong. [spoiler]I found him creepy ever since he showed interest in Si Won. He was how much older than her??? Plus, he was engaged to her late sister and stealing his brothers love (unknowingly) ; it felt like his character felt out of place when he was pursuing Si Won.[/spoiler]

MUSIC
--------
I am not into KPoP but I listen to most drama music these days. The music they played seemed to fit so well with every scene and even if i didn't even know some(most) of the 90's Korean songs I still felt nostalgic. I'm was looking for all the songs used in this drama because it's that good. If you’re into Kpop, I am sure you’d enjoy this.

VERDICT
---------
I pushed back watching this, cause I don't like immature stories/characters. But then I thought to myself, there must be a reason for all the hype, lets give this a try ... it might not be as good as R1988 but it has its own moments.

I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who is a sucker for sweet and 'fuzzy' love stories as well as people who are just looking for a drama that's not too heavy. This will take you down memory lane as the beepers and cell phones with antennas are re-introduced. I mean, who DOESN'T love the feeling of nostalgia? Well this drama will definitely give you that feeling.